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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

#Thanksgiving Cooking Advice from Captain Kirk and a Great Use for Leftover Turkey via Cleo Coyle

How do you like to use your Thanksgiving leftovers? Here's an idea for you, adapted from a real Fire Captain's firehouse kitchen: Fast Truck Turkey Casserole. But before I share the recipe with you, I have a rather entertaining fire safety warning from another sort of Captain.Below is actor William Shatner with a new musical version of Eat, Fry, Love, a Turkey Fryer Safety Video he made for State Farm a few years back.

Take it away, Captain!

* * * * * * * * * * * Thanks, Bill, we love you!If you do not see the video embeddedabove, click here to watch it on YouTube.

Thanksgiving Day Giveaway!

We're celebrating Thanksgiving this week with

giveaways every day at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. I'm giving away my brand new Coffeehouse Mystery ONCE UPON A GRINDin its beautiful first-edition hardcover format and a custom-designed Coffeehouse Mystery mug featuring one of Madame's favorite sayings.

If you leave a comment on THIS POST, too, you will have 2 entries. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!And now for today's recipe...

"Fast Truck" (Firehouse)Turkey Casserole

Recipe Note from Captain Colston:

"When I first started as a firefighter, I still lived at home, like a lot of us firefighters did when we started out, so I could only cook things from a box. This is a real quick meal that we created from leftovers one night when we didn’t have a lot to spend. It’s a fast meal to make, which is nice when you’re busy at the station."

The recipe that follows is my adaption of the captain's recipe. Why did I have to "adapt" it? Because the captain's original portions were huge! The funny thing is, he claimed his original recipe would "Serve 4." Oh, sure, 4 firefighters maybe. For us mortals, however, the amounts were more like serves 12. I halved it and got a serving of 6, added a bit more detail, including oven temperatures and time, a tweak on the ingredients for better flavor, and quickie directions on cooking chicken breasts, if needed.

*Note: If you don't care for spicy flavor, substitute any mild cheese that melts easily: e.g., Monterey Jack, Colby-Jack, mozzarella, or a young Provolone or Asiago.

Step 1 - You can use leftover turkey or chicken for this recipe; rotisserie chicken; or roast or grill your chicken breasts fresh. To roast raw chicken breasts, sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning; place them in a greased shallow pan; and cook them for about 45 minutes in an oven preheated to 325 degrees F. Do not overcook or your chicken will be dry. Chop up the cooked chicken and set aside.

Step 2 - Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a shallow 8 x 12-inch glass dish or casserole pan with butter or margarine. In a large bowl, mix together the stuffing and broth. If you roasted chicken specifically for this dish, I suggest adding the pan drippings to the stuffing bowl for even more good flavor. Pour the stuffing into the pan. Using the back of a large spoon, press it into an even layer, and bake until the top is crispy and brown, about 20 minutes.

Step 3 - Spread the cooked chicken evenly on top of the cooked stuffing. Arrange the ham slices on top of the chicken and return it to the hot oven for 10 minutes. Remove the pan once more and cover it evenly with the cheese slices (or shredded block cheese). Bake for 10 more minutes, until cheese is mostly melted. Finish under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.

This turkey or chicken casserole is delicious served with sweet corn and a salad. May you eat it with joy.

37 comments:

What a great week this has been with all the tasty recipes. Will have to try this one. I have made something the original recipe called "Turkey Devonshire" for years: leftover turkey on toast, covered with bacon and a sauce made with milk or cream, turkey gravy and Swiss cheese. Bake until bubbly - it's delicious. This sounds as good. Must be the idea of cheese and turkey.

I'm always looking for good recipes for leftover turkey since I cook a nice big turkey every year---and there is just my husband and me. This recipe looks like one that both of us will like.suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

We had our dinner on Sunday since my DIL is working. I think my son is making another turkey Thursday, too, for when she gets home. Cajun turkeys! Have you ever tried them? A bit too spicy for my liking but they like them. I am out-voted. We are having cajun turkey enchiladas with the leftovers tonight. Should be interesting.